1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to telecentricity error compensation in a lithographic projection apparatus comprising:
a radiation system for supplying a projection beam of radiation;
patterning means, for patterning the projection beam according to a desired pattern;
a substrate table for holding a substrate; and
a projection system for imaging the patterned beam onto a target portion of the substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
The term xe2x80x9cpatterning meansxe2x80x9d should be broadly interpreted as referring to means that can be used to endow an incoming radiation beam with a patterned cross-section, corresponding to a pattern that is to be created in a target portion of the substrate; the term xe2x80x9clight valvexe2x80x9d has also been used in this context. Generally, the said pattern will correspond to a particular functional layer in a device being created in the target portion, such as an integrated circuit or other device (see below). Examples of such patterning means include:
A mask table for holding a mask. The concept of a mask is well known in lithography, and its includes mask types such as binary, alternating phase-shift, and attenuated phase-shift, as well as various hybrid mask types. Placement of such a mask (xe2x80x9creticlexe2x80x9d) in the radiation beam causes selective transmission (in the case of a transmissive mask) or reflection (in the case of a reflective mask) of the radiation impinging on the mask, according to the pattern on the mask. The mask table ensures that the mask can be held at a desired position in the incoming radiation beam, and that it can be moved relative to the beam if so desired.
A programmable mirror array. An example of such a device is a matrix-addressable surface having a viscoelastic control layer and a reflective surface. The basic principle behind such an apparatus is that (for example) addressed areas of the reflective surface reflect incident light as diffracted light, whereas unaddressed areas reflect incident light as undiffracted light. Using an appropriate filter, the said undiffracted light can be filtered out of the reflected beam, leaving only the diffracted light behind; in this manner, the beam becomes patterned according to the addressing pattern of the matrix-adressable surface. The required matrix addressing can be performed using suitable electronic means. More information on such mirror arrays can be gleaned, for example, from U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,296,891 and 5,523,193, which are incorporated herein by reference.
A programmable LCD array. An example of such a construction is given in U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,872, which is incorporated herein by reference.
For the sake of simplicity, the rest of this text may, at certain locations, specifically direct itself to examples involving a mask table and mask; however, the general principles discussed in such instances should be seen in the broader context of the patterning means as hereabove set forth.
For the sake of simplicity, the projection system may hereinafter be referred to as the xe2x80x9clensxe2x80x9d; however, this term should be broadly interpreted as encompassing various types of projection system, including refractive optics, reflective optics and catadioptric systems, for example. The radiation system generally comprises an illumination system (xe2x80x9cilluminatorxe2x80x9d), which may also include elements operating according to any of these design types for directing, shaping or controlling the projection beam of radiation, and such elements may also be referred to below, collectively or singularly, as a xe2x80x9clensxe2x80x9d. Further, the lithographic apparatus may be of a type having two or more mask tables and/or two or more substrate tables. In such xe2x80x9cmultiple stagexe2x80x9d devices the additional tables may be used in parallel, or preparatory steps may be carried out on one or more tables while one or more other tables are being used for exposures. Twin stage lithographic apparatus are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,441 and U.S. Ser. No. 09/180,011, filed Feb. 27, 1998, (WO 98/28665 and WO 98/40791), incorporated herein by reference.
Lithographic projection apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In such a case, the patterning means may generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC, and this pattern can be imaged onto a target portion (comprising one or more dies) on a substrate (silicon wafer) which has been coated with a layer of photosensitive material (resist). In general, a single wafer will contain a whole network of adjacent target portions which are successively irradiated via the projection system, one at a time. In current apparatus, employing patterning by a mask on a mask table, a distinction can be made between two different types of machine. In one type of lithographic projection apparatus, each target portion is irradiated by exposing the entire mask pattern onto the target portion at once; such an apparatus is commonly referred to as a wafer stepper. In an alternative apparatus (which is commonly referred to as a step-and-scan apparatus or scanner) each target portion is irradiated by progressively scanning the mask pattern under the projection beam in a given reference direction (the xe2x80x9cscanningxe2x80x9d direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate table parallel or anti-parallel to this direction; since, in general, the projection system will have a magnification factor M (generally  less than 1), the speed V at which the substrate table is scanned will be a factor M times that at which the mask table is scanned. More information with regard to lithographic devices as here described can be gleaned, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,792, incorporated herein by reference.
As demand for imaging ever-smaller features at higher densities increases, it is necessary to use shorter wavelength radiation, for example ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 157 nm or 126 nm. However, this can result in problems caused by chromatic aberration which can degrade the performance of the projection apparatus. Two reasons for this are that, firstly, radiation sources, such as lasers, for producing shorter wavelength radiation tend to have greater line widths, i.e. the source is less monochromatic and contains a broader spread of wavelengths; and, secondly, the dispersion relation of refractive index against wavelength for refractive media used for the lenses tends to have a steeper gradient at shorter wavelengths, and therefore the media are more dispersive, which results in increased chromatic aberration. One solution to this problem is to design a projection lens that is achromatic, for example by combining lens elements which have powers of opposite sign, and which are made of lens materials having different dispersion relations, such that the chromatic aberration is substantially canceled out. However, this increases the complexity and expense of the lens systems, since two different media are requited. Also, the number of possible refractive media decreases when light with a relatively short wavelength is used. This makes it very difficult to make a projection lens that is achromatic.
An alternative solution is to use a catadioptric lens system, which includes at least one reflective optical element. This enables a single material to be used for all the lenses. However, the use of reflective elements in some projection system designs means that an image must be projected off-axis to avoid part of it being obscured by certain elements in the system. This means that the projected image does not span the optical axis (i.e. the center) of the projection system. An example of a catadioptric lens can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,260, incorporated herein by reference.
However, such a projection system will generally have an intrinsic telecentricity error. There is a problem of simultaneously compensating for this error whilst minimizing the size of the illumination system lenses in an off-axis projection system.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved microlithography projection apparatus which avoids or alleviates the above problems.
According to the present invention there is provided a microlithography projection apparatus as specified in the opening paragraph, arranged such that, in use, the patterned beam is projected off-axis with respect to the optical axis of said projection system, characterized by further comprising a compensating means (xe2x80x9ccompensatorxe2x80x9d) for compensating for telecentricity error of the projection system.
The compensator enables the telecentricity error of the projection system to be corrected for, at least partially, in an off-axis projection system, e.g. one which is catadioptric and where the patterned projection beam traverses the projection system off-axis, to avoid said obscuration.
Since the patterned beam is projected off axis, as explained above, the irradiated area in the plane of the mask shall also be laterally displaced with respect to the optical axis of the projection system. Preferably, the optical axis of the illuminator is laterally shifted such as to be parallel to, but off-axis with respect to, the optical axis of the projection system, and such that it is substantially centered with respect to said irradiated area. This enables the size of the illuminator and its lenses and optical components to be minimized.
Preferably, the compensator is tilted with respect to the emergent optical axis of the illuminator. This is a relatively simple modification to enable the illumination system to be compensated for a telecentricity error in the projection system.
Preferably, the compensator is tiltable, to allow for adjustment of the telecentricity error compensation.
Preferably, the compensator comprises a reflective element. This can comprise, for example, a mirror in the illuminator, and enables a pre-existing mirror to have the double function of both deflecting the beam and correcting for telecentricity error.
Although the reflective element, such as a mirror, is typically planar, which permits at least coarse compensation for telecentricity error, it is also possible for the reflective element to have a non-planar profile, to allow telecentricity compensation to vary with position in the beam.
According to an alternative aspect of the invention, preferably the compensator comprises a wedge-like transmissive optical element. Preferably the wedge-like optical element comprises a portion of an axially symmetric lens. This has the advantage that the lens can be manufactured by standard techniques, to provide accurate compensation for the telecentricity error with the appropriate symmetry, and then the lens can be cut up to give the wedge-like portion for insertion in the beam path to compensate for the telecentricity error, notwithstanding the fact that the apparatus comprises an off-axis projection system. An additional advantage is now that more than one wedge-like optical element compensator can be obtained from a single lens.
According to one aspect of the invention, in an embodiment employing a mask table, the wedge-like optical element is located proximate to a position at which a mask is held, in use, by said mask table, or at a position substantially conjugate thereto. This has the advantage that telecentricity error compensation essentially requires adjustment of the angle of incidence/exit of the light beam on the mask as a function of position across the mask (i.e., the compensator acts as a decentered field lens).
According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a device manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
providing a substrate that is at least partially covered by a layer of radiation-sensitive material;
providing a projection beam of radiation using an illumination system;
using patterning means to endow the projection beam with a pattern in its cross-section;
projecting the patterned beam of radiation onto a target area of the layer of radiation-sensitive material,
characterized in that, prior to patterning, the projection beam is projected off-axis with respect to the optical axis of said projection system, and a compensation is performed to compensate for telecentricity error of the projection system.
In a manufacturing process using a lithographic projection apparatus according to the invention a pattern (e.g. in a mask) is imaged onto a substrate that is at least partially covered by a layer of energy-sensitive material (resist). Prior to this imaging step, the substrate may undergo various procedures, such as priming, resist coating and a soft bake. After exposure, the substrate may be subjected to other procedures, such as a post-exposure bake (PEB), development, a hard bake and measurement/inspection of the imaged features. This array of procedures is used as a basis to pattern an individual layer of a device, e.g. an IC. Such a patterned layer may then undergo various processes such as etching, ion-implantation (doping), metallisation, oxidation, chemo-mechanical polishing, etc., all intended to finish off an individual layer. If several layers are required, then the whole procedure, or a variant thereof, will have to be repeated for each new layer. Eventually, an array of devices will be present on the substrate (wafer). These devices are then separated from one another by a technique such as dicing or sawing, whence the individual devices can be mounted on a carrier, connected to pins, etc. Further information regarding such processes can be obtained, for example, from the book xe2x80x9cMicrochip Fabrication: A Practical Guide to Semiconductor Processingxe2x80x9d, Third Edition, by Peter van Zant, McGraw Hill Publishing Co., 1997, ISBN 0-07-067250-4, incorporated herein by reference.
Although specific reference may be made in this text to the use of the apparatus according to the invention in the manufacture of ICs, it should be explicitly understood that such an apparatus has many other possible applications. For example, it may be employed in the manufacture of integrated optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic domain memories, liquid-crystal display panels, thin-film magnetic heads, etc. The skilled artisan will appreciate that, in the context of such alternative applications, any use of the terms xe2x80x9creticlexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cwaferxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdiexe2x80x9d in this text should be considered as being replaced by the more general terms xe2x80x9cmaskxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9csubstratexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ctarget portionxe2x80x9d, respectively.
In the present document, the terms radiation, radiation beam, and beam are, in principle, used to encompass all types of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet radiation (e.g. with a wavelength of 365, 248, 193, 157 nm or 126 nm) and EUV.